The advent of digital technology has allowed humanity to become more interconnected than at any point in its history. People are no longer constrained by the necessity of physical presence to communicate, indeed, asynchronous communication via the internet eschews even the necessity of real time interaction. Communication has become easier than ever before, yet, we still live in a world divided between the communication “haves” and “have nots.” Currently, only sixteen percent of the world’s population can access the World Wide Web (Gunn). Even so, digital technology has the potential to empower marginalized individuals by transmitting information that can improve their lives or even allowing them to actively resist existing power structures.
While multimedia content is available on the internet, it remains a predominantly English text-based medium. However, language may not be a determining factor in accessing the internet as many non-native speakers are comfortable accessing English sites (Drori). A more fundamental quandary is that the internet requires its users to be literate, a skill that marginalized individuals may not possess. One possible solution to this problem is to introduce interfaces in which the user can issue auditory commands to a computer (Nass). However, there are two central issues that must be addressed before an audio interface is feasible. First, audio interfaces must be inherently logical to non-literate peoples who may not think in the same organized, linear ways that narrative text has trained literate individuals to think. It may be necessary to develop computer interfaces that very closely mimic the natural language and vocabulary of the user because the use of unfamiliar vocabulary can activate processes in the brain that encourage it to stop listening to avoid the intake of unusable information (Gunn, Lecture). Second, it is essential that audio interfaces be able to handle a variety of accents and paralinguistic cues. The computer’s inability to understand an individuals commands may limit the feasibility of such an interface expanding access because marginalized individuals may not have standard accents.
Even if audio interfaces are developed that allow non-literate individuals to use computers, the lack of PC hardware among marginalized people may prevent them from accessing the internet. The current situation regarding hardware availability may be analogous to the original proliferation of PCs. Early computer scientists believed there was limited market potential for computers. However, the development of microprocessors, which greatly reduced both the size and price of computers, lead to the introduction of PCs into the home. Today, rather than focusing on internet access for marginalized peoples via PCs, cell phones and other small wireless devices may prove to be much more practical (Gunn). Cell phones are already converging with existing technologies, for example, the inclusion of MP3 players and web browsers in their software, in ways that vastly increase their potential to access information. Most importantly they are much cheaper than PCs and already widespread. Their very nature encourages the use of an audio interface and many of the messages transmitted via the device may not require literacy to interpret.
Cell phones may have an advantage over traditional computer technologies even in societies that are not limited by economic constraints. Many people find the asynchronous nature of text messaging preferable to real time interaction because it is not contingent upon both parties’ immediate mutual attention. Additionally, the convergence of cell phones with technologies such as MP3 players and cameras allow us to create, send, and receive content in much more flexible ways than traditional PCs. For example, some of the most compelling footage available of the
2005 London bombings was made using cell phones as the event transpired. The ability to capture and disseminate this footage in such a short time brought immediacy to the events in London that would have been lacking without the technology. In short, their ubiquity creates the potential for them to be a powerful force in the dissemination of information in addition to their function of building and maintaining social bonds.
We should be concerned both socially and economically with extending access of information to those individuals and nations that have traditionally lacked access.
Nations should be concerned because a particular technology does not grow in isolation, but rather progress in one field has vast implications on the development of other, sometimes tangentially related fields. For example, Matt Gardner spoke of the necessity of information technologies for the development of the biotech industry (Gardner). While an information infrastructure may not be a sufficient condition to allow the development of high tech industries, it is certainly a necessary condition. On an individual level, granting people access to information empowers them to make informed choices and to coordinate actions in unprecedented ways.
Spain’s 2004 elections may have been tipped by the use of text messaging to call political rallies immediately prior to the election. Currently, as the technology disseminates, we must be careful to ensure that those who may benefit most from it are not prevented from acquiring it merely because they are to poor to pay.
References:
Drori, G. (2006). “IT Conversations: Gili Drori”. Retrieved on 2-14-06 from http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail962.html
Gardner, M. (2005). “IT Conversations: Matt Gardner”. Retrieved on 2-14-06 from http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail791.html
Nass, C. (2006). “IT Conversations: Cliff Nass”. Retrieved on 2-14-06 from http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail967.html
